1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and to a process. More specifically, this invention is directed to a system and a process for conveting gaseous or vaporizable toxic, and potentially toxic, organic compounds, organo-metallic compounds, mixtures of organic compounds; mixtures of organo-metallic compounds; mixtures of organic and organo-metallic compounds, to an inert, cross-linked solid matrix, that is essentially impervious to solvent extraction. This invention has also potential application in converting gaseous or vaporizable materials to products which are useful as articles of commerce and/or which can provide enhancements to articles of commerce; the specific utility of such materials, of course, being dependent upon the chemical components thereof, and upon the medium to which these components are allowed to condense and/or recombine, and the physical properties of the resultant deposit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It need not be belabored, that industrial wastes have and continue to pose not only a threat to water and air quality, but also that the means for safe disposal are, indeed, quite limited--in the sense that a number of options available a few years ago will not be available in the future. More specifically, the land fills and containment storage facilities for disposing of these materials have only a finite capacity. The option of incineration is recognized as no longer available because of the formation of secondary pollutants (i.e. oxides of sulphur, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, etc.). Similar disposal problems have been and continue to present themselves in the non-industrial environment. More specifically, many materials presently in commerce, which were originally regarded as innocuous, are now known to pose serious health risks and their withdrawal from the marketplace, if not presently required, is to be mandated in the future. Two examples which immediately come to mind, include the electric power industry's use of polychlorobiphenyls (PCB's) in transformers; and, the imminent withdrawal of chlorofluorocarbons as a refrigerant. The disposal of PCB's generally involves (incineration). The effective recovery and disposal of chlorofluorocarbons has yet to be addressed. Because of the effect of these latter materials on the atmosphere, their continued use in commerce is scheduled for withdrawal in the immediate future. The more troublesome problem has, and will continue to be, their safe disposal.
With the increase in sensitivity and awareness of the public and the regulatory agencies, charged with responsibilities for maintaining environmental quality, the safe disposal of hazardous and potentially hazardous materials has come under increasing scrutiny. Moreover, because a number of materials in commerce (initially thought to be innocuous) will also be prohibited from future use, and their withdrawal from commerce mandated as a safer replacement/alternative is identified, the regulatory environment has and will continue to be increasingly critical of the methods for safe disposal, and the effect thereof upon the environment, particularly with regard to the generation of secondary pollutants. Unfortunately, the difficult decisions to withdraw a product, and/or recall/recover that which is already in commerce, are often dictated by the magnitude of the problem, and, thus, the cost of the safe disposal effort of the offending agent.
In summary, the preferred solution to safe and effective waste disposal of toxic agents and potentially toxic agents generated incident to manufacture, is to minimize or eliminate their generation, or, alternatively, somehow dispose of them at the source of generation. The advantage of the latter solution is clear. More specifically, a "site of generation" disposal system will retain continuity of responsibility and accountability of the manufacturer; eliminate the cost of transporting such materials (with the hazards inherent in such transport), and under certain circumstances, will permit potential recovery and/or utilization of such waste products in the manner which would offset, at least to a degree, their disposal cost.
Similar conditions and needs exist with materials presently in commerce-the need for retrieval and safe disposal thereof. The recovery and containment of these materials, and the problems associated therewith increase dramatically where the offending substance is unstable at ambient temperature, is a gas or changes from a liquid to a gas at ambient temperature. The control over recovery of these types of substances is most troublesome, since it may be difficult, if not impossible, to detect their release into the atmosphere where the sources of such offending substances are diffuse and the amount of substances released at a particular instance is relatively small, as in the case of chlorofluorocarbon-type refrigerants.
As is thus evident from the above discussion, a continuing need exists for an effective means for disposal of industrial waste and other offending substances presently in commerce. The means for such disposal must not only be effective, it must preferably lend itself to "on-site" treatment at the source of generation and will, in certain instances, permit reclamation of the offending substances in a manner which will offset at least a portion of the cost of their disposal. In order to be cost effective and competitive with other disposal means, the means selected for disposal of offending manufactured waste must also be able to accommodate both "defined" as well as "ill-defined" (mixed) waste streams. In addition, the preferred means of disposal must be relatively energy efficient and avoid the cogeneration of bi-products of the disposal effort which are themselves undesirable (i.e. sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, etc.) or are themselves toxic or potentially toxic. To the extent that the waste stream is incapable of reclamation, the product of the disposal effort must itself be inert, easy to handle (i.e. a solid) and relatively impervious to solvent extraction, thus, being capable of discard in a sanitary landfill without concern for contamination of ground water, or fear that the exposure thereof to wildlife and human contact will cause additional health problems. For a process of this type to receive general acceptance, the means for disposal must at a minimum be capable of handling the vast majority of organic or organo-metallic compounds which form the bulk of the waste disposal problems.